


Into The Light

by shobogan



Category: Batman (Comics), Birds of Prey (Comic), DCU - Comicverse
Genre: F/F, Post-Crisis, Pre-Crisis, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2012-12-29
Packaged: 2017-11-22 21:19:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/614443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shobogan/pseuds/shobogan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barbara knows she's going to die.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Into The Light

Barbara knows she’s going to die. It doesn’t matter how hard Stephanie presses on her wounds, how many of their attackers Cassandra downs. She’s bleeding out. There isn’t time. 

“Steph, I - “

“Shh, you shouldn’t talk - “

“ _Stephanie_.”

“ _No_.” Steph glares down at her, gaze bright and fierce through the cowl. ”You are not taking that tone with me. You are _staying quiet_ and _letting me save you_.”

Barbara can’t help but smile through the blood on her lips. The girl was always a thing to be reckoned with, but she’s come so far.

It’s quiet, now. Cassandra is done. 

In an instant, Barbara’s - Barbara’s _daughter_ is kneeling at her side, hands caressing her face. “Can’t move you." No. No, she can feel the broken bones scraping against each other. "But - called for help. Should be here soon.”

“I want Dinah.” It’s not what she expected to say, but her girls don’t look surprised. Cass simply nods, standing to make the call. 

“You’re gonna be okay.” It’s a desperate whisper as Stephanie wraps a bandage around her thigh. It’s not a wound Barbara can feel, but it might be the one that kills her. 

“If I’m not - ” She raises a hand, this time, pressing trembling fingers to Stephanie’s lips. “ _If I’m not_. I wanted you to know - how proud I am.” She turns her head to gaze up at Cass, already done the call. “Both of you. I - couldn’t have asked for…”

The cough is sudden and violent, tearing through her chest and leaving her worn and ragged. More blood on her mouth. Not just external bleeding, then, she suspected as much. Doesn’t matter that they don’t have stitches.

Cass is on her knees again, cradling her head in her lap. Stephanie is working tirelessly - cleaning the wounds, applying more pressure, monitoring her pulse. Some of them have stopped bleeding. Others haven’t. Funny; the blood doesn't feel warm, any more.

It won’t be enough. Barbara wants to tell them to just leave her, get somewhere safe, away from the shambling, feral packs. She knows they won’t. She shouldn’t have asked for Dinah, it was selfish, wasn’t thinking straight, and she’ll be so sad, it’s not fair, she never told her…

“Losing her, Steph.” Cass sounds more distressed than she’s ever heard her. 

“I know.” Steph sounds frustrated and tired and sad. Distantly Barbara can feel her hands shaking. “I know. I - there’s nothing else I can do, Cass, I - “

“Not your fault.”

“Not yours, either. We just - they’ll get here, they’ll have stretchers and…”

Their voices fade into muted murmurs, and the world starts to go dark. 

“Babs!” The furious, anguished cry jerks her back to awareness, and her head lifts up before Cass gently pushes it back down. That's fine - it was enough to make her small world spin. 

Dinah doesn’t waste time asking questions or prodding corpses. She skids to a stop in front of them, falling to her hands and knees. Barbara can barely see her until Dinah’s almost on top of her.

“I’m here. I’m here, baby, oh God, _Babs_ \- ” Dinah’s hand on her face, warm through the blood and tears. Barbara tries to smile for her. 

“Love…you…”

“I love you too.” It’s a sob, more than anything, choked and ragged.

She wants to tell her she shouldn’t be sad. She died defending her girls. The last thing she’ll ever see will be her eyes. That’s okay.

Then Dinah’s face begins to fade, and Barbara can't feel her hand, and for the first time she’s scared.

They say everyone dies alone, but she doesn’t want to be alone, she can’t do this alone, she - 

Then she can see blue again, bright blue eyes and a wide warm smile. 

“Welcome home, Babs.”

When she smiles, this time, she tastes strawberries and sunlight.

“Thanks, Kara.”


End file.
